Wrench.



G. A. GUTTER.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED In 7, 190B.

Patented Dec.8,1908.

THE uomus PETERS co., ilusmucrou, D. c.

UNITED STATES GEORGE A. CUTTER, OF TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

Application filed May 7, 1908. Serial No. 431,507.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. CUTTER, of Taunton, county of Bristol, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wrenches wherein a rotatable member is supported by a circular holder having an integrally formed handle,.and has for its object to improve the construction of the circular holder and also of the handle whereby a very powerful and durable wrench is produced at small expense.

Figure 1 shows in side elevation a wrench embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the wrench shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the wrench shown in Fig. 1, taken on the dotted line 33. Fig. 4 is an edge view of the nut-engaging member. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of wrench embodying this invention. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the wrench shown in Fig. 5, taken on the dotted line 66. Fig. 7 is a modified form of circular holder for the nut-engaging disk and handle extended therefrom.

The nut-engaging member consists of a circular disk a, composed of malleable iron or other metal, having a center hole a, or it may be a socket, to receive a nut or other thing to be turned. It is made quite thick and its opposite sides or faces are made flat and disposed in parallel planes. It has a peripheral bearing and peripheral ratchet teeth. Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, its periphery has formed on it a pair of planefaced bearing portions a a arranged re spectively at its opposite sides, and a ratchettoothed portion a between said bearing portions. The two bearing portions (1 a serveas and constitute a peripheral bearing on the disk. The bearing surfaces of the portions of, a are arranged in parallelism with the axis of the disk, and, as herein shown, are at right angles to the sides or faces thereof. The ratchet-toothed portion a is made larger in diameter than the bearing portions (1 a, hence projects beyond said bearing portions. The nut-engaging disk, thus constructed, may, if desired, be made of a single piece of metal, which can be cast, punched or machined to shape. By

I making the disk quite thick, bearing portions 1 of considerable width and a ratchet toothed portion also of considerable width may be provided, thereb aflording substantial bearings for the disk and also providing very wide teeth, which are strong and durable. However, so far as other features of'my invention are concerned, said nut-engaging member may be otherwise constructed and still present a peripheral bearing and a peprojecting ratchet-teeth.

The nut-engaging disk is rotatably mounted in a holder and for simplicity of construction as well as for strength and durability said holder consists of a strip of channeled steel, see Figs. 1 to 4, bent to form a circular portion 1) and a handle, the former receiving and supporting the nut-engaging member and the latter extending from the former, and made of suitable dimensions to be grasped by the hand of the operator for the purpose of turning the holder. The circular portion 5, when made of a strip of channeled steel, presents a pair of side flanges b and said strip may be bent into circular form with its flanges extending inward. The circular portion I) nearly surrounds the nut-engaging member and the edges of its side flanges 5 see Fig. 3, engage the peripheral bearing portions a a and the ratchet-teeth enter the channel or space between said flanges. The side flanges b are made approximately as thick as the width of the caring portions a and thereby serve as substantial bearings for the purpose of engaging the rotatable disk, and the channel between said side flanges is made approximately as wide as the ratchet-teeth to thereby form a guide for them. The nut-engaging disk is thus supported at its opposite ends or points adjacent .its opposite sides and is thereby firmly held. The circular portion 1) and handle I) are preferably made of a width corresponding to the thickness of the rotatable member. The handle comprises a body portion and a spring-acting arm 5 The arm 6 which comprises the end portion of the strip, terminates at the disk, and as the stri composing said handle is quite elastic said arm is employed as -the pawl for engaging the ratchet teeth. The end of. the

ripheral ratchet toothed portion, or-at least arm is preferably beveled on its under side, so that an engaging end portion of suitable width is provided for engaging the wide ratchet teeth from side to side, and the side flanges on the arm will extend over the opposite sides of said ratchet-teeth so as to prevent the end of the arm from moving laterally, as well as for assisting in holding and guiding the rotatable member. The flanged strip composing the handle is made very stiff in order that it may withstand a severe strain, yet the arm 6 which serves as the pawl, should be quite elastic, so as not to exert too great a pressure u on the rotating member, hence it is desira le to reduce the stiffness of the arm without reducing the stiffness of the main part of the handle. As the stiffness is due essentially to the employment of the flanges this result may be easily accomplished by notching said flanges, as represented at b, or otherwise reducing them. However, the arm 6 may be sufflciently elastic without notching it.

By making the circular portion 1) and handle of a flanged strip, bearings are rovided for engaging the nut-engaging mem er, a recess is provided for the ratchet teeth, and a very stifllhandle is provided as well as an elastic p To prevent the circular holder 1) from opening when the device is being operated, an oblong or rectangular ring a is employed, one end of which extends over an upturned end of the holder and the other end extends under the handle at its junction with the holder. This ring is herein shown as composed of a short piece of steel tubing, bent into rectangular form by pressure to present parallel sides and parallel ends. Such a ring may be easily made and is very strong.

The handle when bent into loop-like form, as shown in Fig. 1, has an opening through it and this opening may be utilized, if desired, to receive a number of bushings having center holes of different sizes which are adapted to be placed in the rotatable member, and in such case side plates d and d are attached to the opposite sides of the handle, one of which is rigidly secured thereto and the other is pivotally connected thereto, to be swung out to obtain access to the interior. The pivot d which pivotally connects the plate (1' of the handle will extend through one of the side flanges of the handle, and said plate will be provided with a detent d for engaging the edge of the adjacent side flange.

Instead of providing the ratchet-toothed nut engaging isk with two eripheral bearing portions, and the circu ar holder with two flanges which engage said bearing portions, said disk may be provided with a single peripheral bearing ortion, as shown at 6, Figs. 5 and 6, which Is arranged between a pair of ratchet-toothed portions e, e, andthe circular holder may be provided with a single flange e to engage the bearing portion e.

Instead of bending the handle into looplike form, as shown in Fig. 1, it may be composed of a body-portion and a spring-acting arm, integrally formed, but arranged one upon or in parallelism with the other, as shown in Fig. 7. Such a handle may be made by slitting a tubular bar for a portion of its length, and then bending the slitted portions of the bar to form the spring-acting arm and the circular holder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A wrench consisting of a nut-engaging disk having ratchet teeth projecting from its periphery, a circular holder embracing said disk which is flanged on its inside whereby the disk and holder are held against lateral movement with relation to each other, and a handle extended from said holder comprising a correspondingly flanged body portion and a correspondingly flanged spring-acting arm, the latter terminating at and engaging the disk, substantially as described.

2. A wrench consisting of a nut-engaging disk having a peripheral bearing and having ratchet teeth on the periphery projecting beyond said bearing, a circular holder for said disk, which engages the peripheral bearing thereof and a loop-like handle, flanged on its inside, the end of one arm of which is beveled and terminates at and engages said disk, said arm being held from lateral movement by the ratchet-teeth, substantially as described.

3. A wrench consisting of a nut-engagingdisk having ratchet-teeth projecting from its peri hery, a circular holder embracing said dis i, a handle extended from said holder com risin a body portion and a spring arm, the latter aving a pair of side flanges along its inside, and terminating at and engaging said disk, the side flanges extending over the opposite sides of the ratchet teeth, substantially as described.

4. A wrench consisting of a nut-engaging disk having a peripheral bearing comprising two peripheral bearing portions arranged at the opposite ends thereof, and ratchet teeth arranged on its periphery between said bearing portions which project beyond said bearing portions, a circular holder for said disk having a pair of side flanges which engage said bearing portions, and a handle integral with said holder having a pair of side flanges along its inside, the end of one arm of which is beveled and terminates at and engages the disk, substantially as described.

5. A wrench consisting of a nut-engaging disk having ratchet teeth ]projecting from its 1periphery, a circular ho der for said disk avin an upturned end, a handle comprishandle, one of which is movable with respect thereto, and means for locking said movable side plate in position on the handle, substaning a body portion and a spring-acting arm tially as described.

which terminates at and engages said disk,

In testimony whereof, I have signed my and a ring extending over the upturned end name to this specification, in the presence of of the circular holder and under the handle two subscribing witnesses.

at the junction of the handle with said holder, substantially as described,

6. A wrench having a loop-like handle, and a pair of side plates connected to said GEORGE A. CUTTER. Witnesses B. J. NOYES, H. B. DAVIS. 

